Chongqing

Chongqing's location is historically associated with the State of Ba. Its capital was first called Jiangzhou (江州).[29]

Jiangzhou subsequently remained under Qin Shi Huang's rule during the Qin dynasty, the successor of the Qin State, as well as the rule of Han dynasty emperors. Jiangzhou was subsequently renamed during the Northern and Southern dynasties to Chu Prefecture (楚州), then again in 581 AD (Sui dynasty) to Yu Prefecture (渝州), and later in 1102 during Northern Song to Gong Prefecture (恭州).[30] The name Yu however survives to this day as an abbreviation for Chongqing, as well as for the city's historic center, where the old town once stood; its name is Yuzhong (渝中, Central Yu).[29] It received its current name in 1189, after Prince Zhao Dun of the Southern Song dynasty described his crowning as king and then Emperor Guangzong as a "double celebration" (simplified Chinese: 双重喜庆; traditional Chinese: 雙重喜慶; pinyin: shuāngchóng xǐqìng, or chóngqìng in short). To mark the occasion of his enthronement, Yu Prefecture was therefore converted to Chongqing Fu.

In 1362, (Yuan dynasty), Ming Yuzhen, a peasant rebel leader, established the Daxia Kingdom (大夏) at Chongqing for a short time.[31] In 1621 (Ming dynasty), another short-lived kingdom of Daliang (大梁) was established by She Chongming (奢崇明) with Chongqing as its capital.[32] In 1644, after the fall of the Ming dynasty to a rebel army, Chongqing, together with the rest of Sichuan, was captured by Zhang Xianzhong, who was said to have massacred a large number of people in Sichuan and depopulated the province, in part by causing many people to flee to safety elsewhere. The Manchus later conquered the province, and during the Qing dynasty, immigration to Chongqing and Sichuan took place with the support of the Qing emperor.[33]

In 1890, the British Consulate General was opened in Chongqing.[34] The following year, the city became the first inland commerce port open to foreigners, with the proviso that foreign ships should not be at liberty to trade there until Chinese-owned steamers had succeeded in ascending the river. This restriction was abolished by the Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895, which declared the city open on the same terms as other ports, although it was not until 1907 that a steamship made the journey without the help of manual haulers.[35] From 1896 to 1904, the American, German, French, and Japanese consulates were opened in Chongqing.[36][37][38][39]

A street scene in Chongqing, c. 1944

During and after the Second Sino-Japanese War, from Nov 1937 to May 1946, it was Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek's provisional capital. After the General and remaining army had lived there for a time following their retreat in 1938 from the previous capital of Wuhan, it was formally declared the second capital city (陪都, péi dū) on 6 September 1940.[40] After Britain, the United States, and other Allies entered the war in Asia in December 1941, one of the Allies' deputy commanders of operations in South East Asia (South East Asia Command SEAC), Joseph Stilwell, was based in the city. This made it a city of world importance in the fight against Axis powers, together with London, Moscow and Washington, D.C.[41]

The city was also visited by Lord Louis Mountbatten, the Supreme Commander of SEAC which was itself headquartered in Ceylon, modern day Sri Lanka. Chiang Kai Shek as Supreme Commander in China worked closely with Stilwell.[42] From 1938 to 1943, the city suffered from continuously massive bombing campaigns of the Imperial Japanese Navy and Army Air Forces; battles of which were fought entirely by the Chinese Air Force squadrons and anti-aircraft artillery units.[43][44] Many lives were saved by the air-raid shelters which took advantage of the mountainous terrain. Chongqing was acclaimed to be the "City of Heroes" due to the indomitable spirits of its people as well as their contributions and sacrifices during the War of Resistance-World War II. Many factories and universities were relocated from eastern China and ultimately to Chongqing during years of setbacks in the war, transforming this city from inland port to a heavily industrialized city. In late November 1949, the Nationalist KMT government retreated from the city.[45]

• Location maps of Chongqing, Fuling, Wanxian, Qianjiang prefectures in Sichuan before 1997
• 
• 
• 
• 

A sunset view of Jiefangbei CBD and Hongya Cave, taken in 2017

On 14 March 1997, the Eighth National People's Congress decided to merge the sub-provincial city with adjacent Fuling, Wanxian, and Qianjiang prefectures that it had governed on behalf of the province since September 1996. The resulting single entity became Chongqing Municipality, containing 30,020,000 people in forty-three former counties (without intermediate political levels). The municipality became the spearhead of China's effort to develop its western regions and to coordinate the resettlement of residents from the reservoir areas of the Three Gorges Dam project. Its first official ceremony took place on 18 June 1997.

On 8 February 2010, Chongqing became one of the four National Central/Core cities, the other three are Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin.[46] The same year on June 18, the Liangjiang New Area was established in Chongqing, which was the third state-level new area at the time of its establishment.[47]

Topography of Chongqing

Chongqing is situated at the transitional area between the Tibetan Plateau and the plain on the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in the sub-tropical climate zone often swept by moist monsoons. It often rains at night in late spring and early summer, and thus the city is famous for its "night rain in the Ba Mountains", as described by poems throughout Chinese history including the famous Written on a Rainy Night-A Letter to the North by Li Shangyin.[48] The municipality reaches a maximum length of 470 km (290 mi) from east to west, and a maximum width of 450 km (280 mi) from north to south.[49] It borders the following provinces: Hubei in the east, Hunan in the southeast, Guizhou in the south, Sichuan in the west and northwest, and Shaanxi to the north in its northeast corner.[50]

Qutang Gorge on the Yangtze River

Chongqing covers a large area crisscrossed by rivers and mountains. The Daba Mountains stand in the north, the Wu Mountains in the east, the Wuling Mountains in the southeast, and the Dalou Mountains in the south. The whole area slopes down from north and south towards the Yangtze River valley, with sharp rises and falls. The area is featured by a large geological massif, of mountains and hills, with large sloping areas at different heights.[51] Typical karst landscape is common in this area, and stone forests, numerous collections of peaks, limestone caves and valleys can be found in many places. The Longshuixia Gap (龙水峡地缝), with its natural arch-bridges, has made the region a popular tourist attraction. The Yangtze River runs through the whole area from west to east, covering a course of 665 km (413 mi), cutting through the Wu Mountains at three places and forming the well-known Three Gorges: the Qutang, the Wuxia and the Xiling gorges.[52] Coming from northwest and running through "the Jialing Lesser Three Gorges" of Libi, Wentang and Guanyin, the Jialing River joins the Yangtze in Chongqing.[53]

The central urban area of Chongqing, or Chongqing proper, is a city of unique features. Built on mountains and partially surrounded by the Yangtze and Jialing rivers, it is known as a "mountain city" and a "city on rivers".[54] The night scene of the city is very illuminated, with millions of lights and their reflection on the rivers. With its special topographical features, Chongqing has the unique scenery of mountains, rivers, forests, springs, waterfalls, gorges, and caves. Li Bai, a famous poet of the Tang dynasty, was inspired by the natural scenery and wrote this epigram.[55]

Specifically, the central urban area is located on a huge folding area. Yuzhong District, Nan'an District, Shapingba District and Jiangbei District are located right on a big syncline. And the "Southern Mountain of Chongqing" (Tongluo Mountain), along with the Zhongliang Mountain are two anticlines next to the syncline of downtown.[56]

Zhongliang Mountains (中梁山) and Tongluo Mountains (铜锣山) roughly forms the eastern and western boundaries of Chongqing's urban area. The highest point in downtown is the top of Eling Hill, which is a smaller syncline hill that separates the Yangtze River and Jialing River. The elevation of Eling Hill is 379 m (1,243 ft). The lowest point is Chaotian Gate, where the two rivers merge with each other. The altitude there is 160 m (520 ft). The average height of the area is 259 m (850 ft). However, there are several high mountains outside central Chongqing, such as the Wugong Ling Mountain, with the altitude of 1,709.4 m (5,608 ft), in Jiangjin.

In the spring and fall, downtown Chongqing is often enshrouded in fog.

Chongqing has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa), bordering on a monsoonal humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa) and for most of the year experiences very high relative humidity, with all months above 75%. Known as one of the "Three Furnaces" of the Yangtze River, along with Wuhan and Nanjing, its summers are long and among the hottest and most humid in China, with highs of 33 to 34 °C (91 to 93 °F) in July and August in the urban area.[57] Winters are short and somewhat mild, but damp and overcast. The city's location in the Sichuan Basin causes it to have one of the lowest annual sunshine totals nationally, at only 1,055 hours, lower than much of Northern Europe; the monthly percent possible sunshine in the city proper ranges from a mere 8% in December and January to 48% in August. Extremes since 1951 have ranged from −1.8 °C (29 °F) on 15 December 1975 (unofficial record of −2.5 °C (27 °F) was set on 8 February 1943) to 43.7 °C (111 °F) on 18 and 19 August 2022[58] (unofficial record of 44.0 °C (111 °F) was set on 8 and 9 August 1933).[59]

Chongqing, with over 100 days of fog per year,[60] is known as the "Fog City" (雾都); this is because in the spring and fall, a thick layer of fog enshrouds it for 68 days per year.[61][62] During the Second Sino-Japanese War, this special weather possibly played a role in protecting the city from being overrun by the Imperial Japanese Army.

As exemplified by Youyang County below, conditions are often cooler in the southeast part of the municipality due to the higher elevations there.

Chongqing was the wartime capital of China during the Second Sino-Japanese War (i.e., World War II), and from 1938 to 1946,[67] the seat of administration for the Republic of China's government before its departure to Nanjing and then Taiwan.[68] After the eventual defeat at the Battle of Wuhan General Chiang-Kai Shek and the army were forced to use it as base of resistance from 1938 onwards.[40] It also contains a military museum named after the Chinese Korean War hero Qiu Shaoyun.[69]

Chongqing used to be the headquarters of the 13th Group Army of the People's Liberation Army, one of the two group armies that formerly comprised the Chengdu Military Region, which in 2016 was re-organized into the Western Theater Command.[70]

Chongqing is the largest of the four direct-controlled municipalities of the People's Republic of China. The municipality is divided into 38 subdivisions (3 were abolished in 1997, and Wansheng and Shuangqiao districts were abolished in October 2011[71]), consisting of 26 districts, 8 counties, and 4 autonomous counties. The boundaries of Chongqing municipality reach much farther into the city's hinterland than the boundaries of the other three provincial level municipalities (Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin), and much of its administrative area, which spans over 80,000 km² (30,900 sq mi), is rural. At the end of year 2018, the total population is 31.02 million.

Administrative divisions of Chongqing
Wanzhou Fuling 1 Yuzhong 2 Dadukou 3 Jiangbei 4 Shapingba 5 Jiulongpo 6 Nan'an Beibei Qijiang Dazu Yubei Yubei Banan Banan Qianjiang Changshou Jiangjin Hechuan Yongchuan Nanchuan Bishan Tongliang Tongnan Rongchang Kaizhou Liangping Wulong Chengkou County Fengdu County Dianjiang County Zhong County Yunyang County Fengjie County Wushan County Wuxi County Shizhu County Xiushan County Youyang County Pengshui County 1. Yuzhong 2. Dadukou 3. Jiangbei 4. Shapingba 5. Jiulongpo 6. Nan'an
Division code[72]	Division	Area in km2[73]	Total population 2010[74]	Urban area population 2010[75]	Seat	Postal code	Subdivisions[76]
							Subdistricts	Towns	Townships [n 1]	Ethnic townships	Residential communities	Villages
500000	Chongqing	82403	28,846,170	15295803	Yuzhong	400000	181	567	233	14	2324	5235
500101	Wanzhou	3457	1,563,050	859,662	Chenjiaba Subdistrict	404000	11	29	10	2	187	448
500102	Fuling	2946	1,066,714	595,224	Lizhi Subdistrict	408000	8	12	6		108	310
500103	Yuzhong	23	630,090		Qixinggang Subdistrict	400000	12				78
500104	Dadukou	102	301,042	280,512	Xinshancun Subdistrict	400000	5	2			48	32
500105	Jiangbei	221	738,003	672,545	Cuntan Subdistrict	400000	9	3			88	48
500106	Shapingba	396	1,000,013	900,568	Qinjiagang Subdistrict	400000	18	8			140	86
500107	Jiulongpo	431	1,084,419	939,349	Yangjiaping Subdistrict	400000	7	11			107	105
500108	Nan'an	263	759,570	683,717	Tianwen Subdistrict	400000	7	7			85	61
500109	Beibei	754	680,360	501,822	Beiwenquan Subdistrict	400700	5	12			63	117
500110	Qijiang	2747	1,056,817	513,935	Gunan Subdistrict	400800	5	25			99	365
500111	Dazu	1433	721,359	315,183	Tangxiang Subdistrict	400900	3	24			103	197
500112	Yubei	1452	1,345,410	985,918	Shuangfengqiao Subdistrict	401100	14	12			155	215
500113	Banan	1834	918,692	669,269	Longzhouwan Subdistrict	401300	8	14			87	198
500114	Qianjiang	2397	445,012	173,997	Chengxi Subdistrict	409700	6	12	12		80	138
500115	Changshou	1423	770,009	408,261	Fengcheng Subdistrict	401200	4	14			31	223
500116	Jiangjin	3200	1,233,149	686,189	Jijiang Subdistrict	402200	4	24			85	180
500117	Hechuan	2356	1,293,028	721,753	Nanjin Street Subdistrict	401500	7	23			61	327
500118	Yongchuan	1576	1,024,708	582,769	Zhongshan Road Subdistrict	402100	7	16			52	208
500119	Nanchuan	2602	534,329	255,045	Dongcheng Subdistrict	408400	3	15	15		58	185
500120	Bishan	912	586,034	246,425	Bicheng Subdistrict	402700	6	9			43	142
500151	Tongliang	1342	600,086	248,962	Bachuan Subdistrict	402500	3	25			57	269
500152	Tongnan	1585	639,985	247,084	Guilin Subdistrict	402600	2	20			21	281
500153	Rongchang	1079	661,253	271,232	Changyuan Subdistrict	402400	6	15			75	92
500154	Kaizhou	3959	1,160,336	416,415	Hanfeng Subdistrict	405400	7	26	7		78	435
500155	Liangping	1890	687,525	235,753	Liangshan Subdistrict	405200	2	26	7		33	310
500156	Wulong	2872	351,038	115,823	Gangkou town	408500		12	10	4	24	184
500229	Chengkou Co.	3286	192,967	49,039	Gecheng Subdistrict	405900	2	6	17		22	184
500230	Fengdu Co.	2896	649,182	224,003	Sanhe Subdistrict	408200	2	23	5		53	277
500231	Dianjiang Co.	1518	704,458	241,424	Guixi Subdistrict	408300	2	23	2		62	236
500233	Zhong Co.	2184	751,424	247,406	Zhongzhou town	404300		22	5	1	49	317
500235	Yunyang Co.	3634	912,912	293,636	Shuangjiang Subdistrict	404500	4	22	15	1	87	391
500236	Fengjie Co.	4087	834,259	269,302	Yong'an town	404600		19	8	4	54	332
500237	Wushan Co.	2958	495,072	148,597	Gaotang Subdistrict	404700		11	12	2	30	308
500238	Wuxi Co.	4030	414,073	105,111	Baichang Subdistrict	405800	2	15	16		38	292
500240	Shizhu Co.	3013	415,050	134,173	Nanbin town	409100		17	15		29	213
500241	Xiushan Co.	2450	501,590	150,566	Zhonghe Subdistrict	409900		14	18		59	208
500242	Youyang Co.	5173	578,058	137,635	Taohuayuan town	409800		15	23		8	270
500243	Pengshui Co.	3903	545,094	137,409	Hanjia Subdistrict	409600		11	28		55	241

^a Indicates with which district the division was associated below prior to the merging of Chongqing, Fuling, Wanxian (now Wanzhou) and Qianjiang in 1997.

Jiefangbei CBD, Yuzhong Peninsula of Chongqing at night

The main urban area of Chongqing city (重庆主城区) spans approximately 5,473 km² (2,113 sq mi), and includes the following nine districts:[77][78]

• Yuzhong District (渝中区, literally "Central Chongqing District"), the central and most densely populated district, where government and international business offices and the city's best shopping are located in the district's Jiefangbei CBD area. Yuzhong is located on the peninsula surrounded by Eling Hill, Yangtze River and Jialing River.
• Jiangbei District (江北区, literally "North of the River District"), located to the north of Jialing River.
• Shapingba District (沙坪坝区), roughly located between Jialing River and Zhongliang Mountain.
• Jiulongpo District (九龙坡区), roughly located between Yangtze River and Zhongliang Mountain.
• Nan'an District (南岸区, literally "Southern Bank District"), located on the south side of Yangtze River.
• Dadukou District (大渡口区)
• Banan District (巴南区, literally "Southern of Ba District"). Previously called Ba County, and changed to the current name in 1994.
• Yubei District (渝北区, or "Northern Chongqing District"). Previously called Jiangbei County, and changed into the current name in 1994.
• Beibei District (北碚区), a satellite district northwest of Chongqing.

Jiefangbei (People's Liberation Monument), the landmark and center of Chongqing

According to a July 2010 article from the official Xinhua news agency, the municipality has a population of 32.8 million, including 23.3 million farmers. Among them, 8.4 million farmers have become migrant workers, including 3.9 million working and living in urban areas of Chongqing.[82] as of 2010, the metropolitan area encompassing the central urban area was estimated by the OECD to have, a population of 17 million.[83][84][85]

This would mean that the locally registered farmers who work in other jurisdictions number 4.5 million, reducing the local, year-round population of Chongqing in 2010 to 28.3 million, plus those who are registered in other jurisdictions but live and work in Chongqing. According to China's 2005 statistical yearbook, of a total population of 30.55 million, those with residence registered in other jurisdictions but residing in the Chongqing enumeration area numbered 1.4 million, including 46,000 who resided in Chongqing "for less than half-year". An additional 83,000 had registered in Chongqing, but not yet settled there.[86]

The 2005 statistical yearbook also lists 15.22 million (49.82%) males and 15.33 million (50.18%) females.[86]

In terms of age distribution in 2004, of the 30.55 million total population, 6.4 million (20.88%) were age 0–14, 20.7 million (67.69%) were 15–64, and 3.5 million (11.46%) were 65 and over.[87]

Of a total 10,470,000 households (2004), 1,360,000 consisted of one person, 2,940,000 two-person, 3,190,000 three-person, 1,790,000 four-person, 783,000 five-person, 270,000 six-person, 89,000 seven-person, 28,000 eight-person, 6,000 nine-person, and 10,000 households of 10 or more persons per household.[88]

The predominant religions in Chongqing are Chinese folk religions, Taoist traditions and Chinese Buddhism. According to surveys conducted in 2007 and 2009, 26.63% of the population believes and is involved in cults of ancestors, while 1.05% of the population identifies as Christian (see also Christianity in Sichuan).[89]

The reports didn't give figures for other types of religion; 72.32% of the population may be either irreligious or involved in worship of nature deities, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, folk religious sects

In 2010, there were 9,056 Muslims in Chongqing[90]

The Jade Emperor at the Fengdu Ghost City

Buddhist temple in Jiulongpo

Cathedral of St Joseph, Chongqing (Roman Catholic)

Gospel Church at Jiangbei District (Methodist)

The city includes a number of economic and technological development zones:

• Chongqing Chemical Industrial Park[119]
• Chongqing Economic & Technological Development Zone[120]
• Chongqing Hi-Tech Industry Development Zone[121]
• Chongqing New North Zone (CNNZ)[122]
• Chongqing Export Processing Zone[123]
• Jianqiao Industrial Park (located in Dadukou District)[124]
• Liangjiang New Area[125]
• Liangjiang Cloud Computing Center (the largest of its kind in China)[126]

Chongqing itself is part of the West Triangle Economic Zone, along with Chengdu and Xi'an.

• Chongqing University (重庆大学)
• Southwest University (西南大学)
• Chongqing University of Science and Technology (重庆科技学院)
• Southwest University of Political Science and Law (西南政法大学)
• Third Military Medical University (第三军医大学)
• Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications (重庆邮电大学)
• Chongqing University of Technology (重庆理工大学)
• Chongqing Jiaotong University (重庆交通大学)
• Chongqing Medical University (重庆医科大学)
• Chongqing Normal University (重庆师范大学)
• Chongqing Technology and Business University (重庆工商大学)
• Chongqing Three Gorges University (重庆三峡学院)
• Chongqing Telecommunication Institute (重庆通讯学院)
• Sichuan Fine Arts Institute (四川美术学院)
• Sichuan International Studies University (四川外国语大学)
• University of Logistics (后勤工程学院)
• Chongqing University of Arts and Science (重庆文理学院)
• Yangtze Normal University (长江师范学院)
• Chongqing University of Education (重庆第二师范学院)

Entrance to the Chongqing Nankai Secondary School

• Fuling Experimental High School (涪陵实验中学)
• Chongqing No.1 Secondary School (重庆一中)
• Chongqing Nankai Secondary School (重庆南开中学)
• Chongqing No.8 Secondary School (重庆八中)
• Bashu Secondary School (巴蜀中学)
• Chongqing Railway High School (重庆铁路中学)
• Chongqing Yucai Secondary School (育才中学)
• Chongqing Foreign Language School (The High School Affiliated to Sichuan International Studies University 重庆一外)
• Verakin High School of Chongqing (The 2nd Chongqing Foreign Language School, 重庆二外)
• Chongqing Qiujing High School (求精中学)
• High School Affiliated to Southwest University (西南大学附中)
• Chongqing NO.18 Secondary School (重庆十八中)

• Yew Chung International School of Chongqing (重庆耀中国际学校)[128]
• KL International School of Chongqing Bashu (重庆市诺林巴蜀外籍人员子女学校)[129]

A train of Chongqing Rail Transit Line 2 coming through a residential building at Liziba station.

Hongyancun station on Line 9.

Public transport in Chongqing consists of metro, intercity railway, a ubiquitous bus system and the world's largest monorail network.

According to the Chongqing Municipal Government's ambitious plan in May 2007, Chongqing is investing 150 billion RMB over 13 years to finish a system that combines underground metro lines with heavy monorail.

As of 2017, four metro lines, the 14 km (8.7 mi) long CRT Line 1, a conventional subway, and the 19 km (12 mi) long heavy monorail CRT Line 2 (through Phase II), Line 3, a heavy monorail connects the airport and the southern part of downtown.[131] Line 6, runs between Beibei, a district in the city's far north to downtown.[132] Line 5 opened in late 2017.

By 2020 CRT will consist of 6 lines and 1 loop line resulting in 363.5 km (225.9 mi) of road and railway to the existing transportation infrastructure and 93 new metro stations will be added to the 111 stations that are already in place.[133]

By 2050, Chongqing will have as many as 18 lines that are planned to be in operation.[134]

An aerial tramway across the Yangtze River in Chongqing CBD. (Photo by Chen Hualin)

Chongqing is the only Chinese city that keeps public aerial tramways. Historically there were three aerial tramways in Chongqing: the Yangtze River Tramway, the Jialing River Tramway and the South Mountain Tramway. Currently, only Yangtze River Tramway is still operating and it is Class 4A Tourist Attractions in China. The 1,160-meter (3,810 ft)-long tramway connects the southern and northern banks of Yangtze River; its daily passenger volume is about 10,000.

空中缆车

Chongqing North railway station.

Major railway stations in Chongqing:

• Chongqing railway station in Yuzhong, accessible via Metro Lines 1 & 3 (Lianglukou Metro station), is the city's oldest railway station and located near the Jiefangbei CBD in the city center. The station handles mostly long-distance trains. There are plans for a major renovation and overhaul of this station, thus many services have been transferred to Chongqing North railway station.
• Chongqing North railway station is a station handling many long-distance services and high-speed rail services to Chengdu, Beijing and other cities. It was completed in 2006 and is connected to Metro Line.
• Chongqing West railway station is in Shapingba, a station handling many long-distance services and high-speed rail services to many cities. It was completed in 2018.
• Shapingba railway station is in Shapingba, near Shapingba CBD, accessible via Shapingba metro station on Lines 1, 9 and the Loop line. It handles many local and regional train services. It was completed in 2018.
• Another railway station, Chongqing East, is currently under construction and is expected to be completed in 2025.

Chongqing is a major freight destination for rail with continued development with improved handling facilities. Due to subsidies and incentives, the relocation and construction of many factories in Chongqing has seen a huge increase in rail traffic.

Chongqing is a major rail hub regionally.

• Chengdu–Chongqing railway (to Chengdu, Sichuan Province)
• Sichuan–Guizhou railway (to Guiyang, Guizhou Province)
• Xiangyang–Chongqing railway (to Hubei Province)
• Chongqing–Huaihua railway (to Hunan Province)
• Suining–Chongqing railway (to Sichuan Province)
• Chongqing–Lichuan railway (to Hubei Province)
• Chongqing–Lanzhou railway railway (to Gansu Province)

Hydrofoil on the Yangtze in the outer reaches of the municipality

Chongqing is one of the most important inland ports in China. There are numerous luxury cruise ships that terminate at Chongqing, cruising downstream along the Yangtze River to Yichang, Wuhan, Nanjing or even Shanghai. In the recent past, this provided virtually the only transportation option along the river. However, improved rail, expressways and air travel have seen this ferry traffic reduced or cancelled altogether. Most of the river ferry traffic consists of leisure cruises for tourists rather than local needs. Improved access by larger cargo vessels has been made due to the construction of the Three Gorges Dam. This allows bulk transport of goods along the Yangtze River. Coal, raw minerals and containerized goods provide the majority of traffic plying this section of the river. Several port handling facilities exist throughout the city, including many impromptu river bank sites.[135]

Traditionally, the road network in Chongqing has been narrow, winding and limited to smaller vehicles because of the natural terrain, large rivers and the huge population demands on the area, especially in the Yuzhong District. In other places, such as Jiangbei, large areas of homes and buildings have recently been cleared to improve the road network and create better urban planning; thus, several ring roads have also been constructed. This has seen many tunnels and large bridges needing to be built across the city. The construction of many expressways have connected Chongqing to its neighbors. The natural mountainous terrain that Chongqing is built on makes many road projects difficult to construct, including for example some of the world's highest road bridges.[136]

Unlike many other Chinese cities, it is rare for motorbikes, electric scooters or bicycles to be seen on Chongqing's Roads. This is due to the extremely hilly and mountainous nature of Chongqing's roads and streets. However, despite this, Chongqing is a manufacturing center for these types of vehicles.[137]

• Chongqing-Chengdu Expressway
• Chongqing-Chengdu 2nd Expressway (under construction)
• Chongqing-Wanzhou-Yichang Highway (Wanzhou-Yichang section under construction)
• Chongqing-Guiyang Highway
• Chongqing-Changsha Expressway (Xiushan-Changsha section under construction)
• Chongqing-Dazhou-Xi'a Highway (Dazhou-Xi'an section under construction)
• Chongqing-Suining Expressway
• Chongqing-Nanchong Expressway
• China National Highway 210
• China National Highway 212

View of Chaotianmen Bridge across the Yangtze River in Chongqing

With so many bridges crossing the Yangtze and Jialing rivers in the urban area, Chongqing is sometimes known as the 'Bridge Capital of China'. The first important bridge in urban Chongqing was the Niujiaotuo Jialing River Bridge, built in 1958. The first bridge over the Yangtze river was the Shibanpo Yangtze River Bridge (or Chongqing Yangtze River Bridge) built in 1977.

As of 2014, within the area of the 9 districts, there were 20 bridges on the Yangtze river and 28 bridges on the Jialing river. The bridges in Chongqing exhibit a variety of shapes and structures, making Chongqing a showcase for bridge design.

Departure Level of Terminal 3, Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport

The major airport of Chongqing is Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (IATA: CKG, ICAO: ZUCK). It is located in Yubei District. The airport offers a growing network of direct flights to China, South East Asia, the Middle East, North America, and Europe. It is located 21 km (13 mi) north of the city center of Chongqing and serves as an important aviation hub for south-western China.[138] Jiangbei airport is a hub for China Southern Airlines, Chongqing Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, China Express Airlines, Shandong Airlines and Hainan Airlines's new China West Air. Chongqing also is a focus city of Air China, therefore it is very well connected with Star Alliance and Skyteam's international network. The airport currently has three parallel runways in operation. It serves domestic routes to most other Chinese cities, as well as international routes to Auckland, New York City, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Doha, Dubai, Seoul, Bangkok, Phuket, Osaka, Singapore, Chiang Mai, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Malé, Bali, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, Batam, Rome and Helsinki. As of 2021, Jiangbei Airport was the 4th busiest airport in terms of passenger traffic in mainland China.[139]

Currently, Jiangbei airport has three terminals. Chongqing Airport has metro access (CRT Line 3 and Line 10) to its central city, and two runways in normal use.[140]

There are four other airports in Chongqing Municipality: Qianjiang Wulingshan Airport, Wanzhou Wuqiao Airport, Chongqing Xiannüshan Airport, and Chongqing Wushan Airport. They are all class 4C airports and serve passenger flights to domestic destinations including Beijing, Shanghai and Kunming.

Zhongshan Ancient Town, Jiangjin, Chongqing

The language native to Chongqing is Southwestern Mandarin. More precisely, the great majority of the municipality, save for Xiushan, speak Sichuanese, including the primary Chengdu-Chongqing dialect and Minjiang dialect spoken in Jiangjin and Qijiang.[141] There are also a few speakers of Xiang and Hakka in the municipality, due to the great immigration wave to the Sichuan region (湖广填四川) during the Ming and Qing dynasties. In addition, in parts of southeastern Chongqing, the Miao and Tujia languages are also used by some Miao and Tujia people.[142]

Chongqing Grand Theater

Martyrs' Cemetery

Chongqing Art Museum

As the provisional Capital of China for almost ten years (1937 to 1945), the city was also known as one of the three headquarters of the Allies during World War II, as well as being a strategic center of many other wars throughout China's history. Chongqing has many historic war-time buildings or sites, some of which have since been destroyed. These sites include the People's Liberation Monument, located in the center of Chongqing city. It used to be the highest building in the area, but is now surrounded and dwarfed by numerous shopping centers. Originally named the Monument for the Victory over Axis Armies, it is the only building in China for that purpose.[143] Today, the monument serves as a symbol for the city. The General Joseph W. Stilwell Museum, dedicated to General "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell, a World War II general.[144] the air force cemetery in the Nanshan area, in memory of those air force personnel killed during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945), and the Red Rock Village Museum, a diplomatic site for the Communist Party in Chongqing led by Zhou Enlai during World War II, and Guiyuan, Cassia Garden, where Mao Zedong signed the "Double 10 (10 October) Peace Agreement" with the Kuomintang in 1945.[145]

The Hongya Cave (Hongya-dong) traditional Bayu-style stilted houses at Jiefangbei CBD

The steep path up to the front gate of Fishing Town

Ciqikou ancient road in Shapingba District

• The Baiheliang Underwater Museum, China's first underwater museum,[146]
• The Memorial of Great Tunnel Massacre, a former air-raid shelter where a major massacre occurred during World War II.
• The Great Hall of the People in Chongqing is based on the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. This is one of the largest public assembly buildings in China which, though built in modern times, emulates traditional architectural styles. It is adjacent to the densely populated and hilly central district, with narrow streets and pedestrian only walkways,[147]
• The large domed Three Gorges Museum presents the history, culture, and environment of the Three Gorges area and Chongqing.
• Chongqing Art Museum is known for striking architecture.
• Chongqing Science and Technology Museum has an IMAX theater.
• Luohan Si, a Ming dynasty temple,[148]
• Huangguan Escalator, the second longest escalator in Asia.
• Former sites for embassies of major countries during the 1940s. As the capital at that time, Chongqing had many residential and other buildings for these officials.[149]
• Wuxi County, noted as a major tourism area of Chongqing,[150]
• The Dazu Rock Carvings, in Dazu county, are a series of Chinese religious sculptures and carvings, dating back as far as the 7th century A.D., depicting and influenced by Buddhist, Confucian and Taoist beliefs. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Dazu Rock Carvings are made up of 75 protected sites containing some 50,000 statues, with over 100,000 Chinese characters forming inscriptions and epigraphs.,[151]
• The Three Natural Bridges and Furong Cave in Wulong Karst National Geology Park, Wulong County are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the South China Karst,[152][153]
• Ciqikou is a 1000-year-old town in the Shapingba District of Chongqing. It is also known as "Little Chongqing". The town, located next to the lower reaches of the Jialing River, was at one time an important source of china-ware and used to be a busy commercial dock during the Ming and Qing dynasties,[154]
• Fishing Town or Fishing City is one of the three great ancient battlefields of China. It is noted for its resistance to the Mongol armies during the Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279) and the location where the Mongol leader Möngke Khan died in 1259,[155]
• Xueyu Cave in Fengdu County is the only example of a pure-white, jade-like karst cave in China,[156]
• Fengdu Ghost City in Fengdu County is the Gate of the Hell in traditional Chinese literature and culture.
• Snowy Jade Cave, see Xueyu Cave (above).
• Baidi Cheng, a peninsula in Yangtze River, known due to a famous poem by Li Bai.
• The Chongqing Zoo, a zoo that exhibits many rare species including the giant panda, the extremely rare South China tiger, and the African elephant.[157]
• Chongqing Amusement Park.
• Chongqing Grand Theater, a performing arts center.
• Foreigners' Street was an amusement park, including the Porcelain Palace, the world's largest toilet. Also the location of the abortive Love Land development in 2009.
• The Black Mountain Valley (Heishangu).[158]
• Hongya Cave (aka Hongya Dong), a pier stilt house fortress that served as one of the 17 city gates of Ancient Chongqing is a popular tourist attraction for its architecture.

Chongqing food is part of Sichuan cuisine. Chongqing is known for its spicy food. Its food is normally considered numbing because of the use of Sichuan pepper, also known as Sichuan peppercorn, containing hydroxy alpha sanshool. Chongqing's city center has many restaurants and food stalls where meals often cost less than RMB10. Local specialties here include dumplings and pickled vegetables and, different from many other Chinese cuisines, Chongqing dishes are suitable for the solo diner as they are often served in small individual sized portions.[159] Among the delicacies and local specialties are these dishes:

Typical Chongqing hot pot served with minced shrimp, tripes, pork aorta, goose intestine, and kidney slices.

Chongqing Xiao mian with peas and spicy bean paste

• Chongqing hot pot– Chongqing's local culinary specialty which was originally from Northern China. Tables in hot pot restaurants usually have a central pot, where food ordered by the customers is boiled in a spicy broth, items such as beef, pork, tripe, kidney slices, pork aorta and goose intestine are often consumed.[160]
• Chongqing Xiao Mian – a common lamian noodle dish tossed with chili oil and rich mixtures of spices and ingredients
• Jiangtuan fish – since Chongqing is located along Jialing River, visitors have a good opportunity to sample varieties of aquatic products. Among them, is a fish local to the region, Jiangtuan fish: Hypophthalmichthys nobilis although more commonly known as bighead carp.[161] The fish is often served steamed or baked.[162]

Laziji is famous for its crispy texture

• Suan La Fen (Sour and Spicy Sweet-Potato Noodles) – Thick, transparent noodles of rubbery texture in a spicy vinegar soup.[163]
• Lazi Ji (Spicy Chicken) – A stir-fried dish consists of marinated then deep-fried pieces of chicken, dried Sichuan chili peppers, Sichuan peppers, garlic, and ginger,[164] originated near Geleshan in Chongqing.[165]
• Quanshui Ji (Spring Water Chicken) – Quanshui Ji is cooked with the natural spring water in the Southern Mountain of Chongqing.
• Pork leg cooked with rock sugar – A common household dish of Chongqing, the tender, reddish finished dish, has been described as having strong and sweet aftertaste.[166]
• Qianzhang (skimmed soy bean cream) – Qianzhang is the cream skimmed from soybean milk. In order to create this, several steps must be followed very carefully. First, soybeans are soaked in water, ground, strained, boiled, restrained several times and spread over gauze until delicate, snow-white cream is formed. The paste can also be hardened, cut into slivers and seasoned with sesame oil, garlic and chili oil. Another variation is to bake the cream and fry it with bacon, which is described as soft and sweet.[167]

The Chongqing People's Broadcast Station is Chongqing's largest radio station.[168] The only municipal-level TV network is Chongqing TV, claimed to be the 4th largest television station in China.[169] Chongqing TV broadcasts many local-oriented channels, and can be viewed on many TV sets throughout China.

Chongqing Soaring Dragons became the 20th team playing in Chinese Basketball Association in 2013. They play at Datianwan Arena, in the same sporting complex as Datianwan Stadium.[170] The team moved to Beijing in 2015 and is currently known as Beijing Royal Fighters.

Professional soccer teams in Chongqing include:

• Chongqing Lifan (Chinese Super League)
• Chongqing F.C., folded

Chongqing Lifan is a professional Chinese soccer club that currently plays in the Chinese Super League. They are owned by the Chongqing-based Lifan Group, which manufactures motorcycles, cars and spare parts.[171] Originally called Qianwei (Vanguard) Wuhan, the club formed in 1995 to take part in the recently developed, fully professional Chinese Soccer League. They would quickly rise to top tier of the system and experience their greatest achievement in winning the 2000 Chinese FA Cup,[172] and coming in fourth within the league. However, since then they have struggled to replicate the same success, and have twice been relegated from the top tier.[173]

Chongqing FC was a soccer club located in the city that competed in China League One, the country's second-tier soccer division, before being relegated to the China League Two, and dissolved due to a resultant lack of funds.[174]

Sport venues in Chongqing include:

• The Chongqing Olympic Sports Center is a multipurpose stadium. It is currently used mostly for soccer matches, as it has a grass surface, and can hold 58,680. It was built in 2002 and was one of main venues for the 2004 AFC Asian Cup.[175]
• Yanghe Stadium is a multiuse stadium that is currently used mostly for soccer matches. The stadium holds 32,000 people, and is the home of Chongqing Lifan in the Chinese Super League. The stadium was purchased by the Lifan Group in 2001 for RMB80 million and immediately replaced Datianwan Stadium as the home of Chongqing Lifan.[176]
• Datianwan Stadium is a multipurpose stadium that is currently used mostly for soccer matches. The stadium has a capacity 32,000 people, and up until 2001 was the home of Chongqing Lifan.[177]

At the end of 2020, a collaboration between a Danish architecture firm and a Chinese tech company Terminus was announced, taking the form of an AI-controlled campus. The project is named Cloud Valley and aims to use sensors and WiFi-controlled devices to collect data on the city's residents and atmosphere, including weather and eating and sleeping habits. The AI will adapt devices to work in a way that fits the gathered information and improves residents' lives.[178]

Chongqing has sister city relationships with many cities of the world including:

General